Chateau De La Mer is a part of the five acres Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center compound in Amoingon, Boac,Marinduque, Philippines. Visit Related Website: engrvv.wix.com/chateau-du-mmer
Some photos and videos on this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on infringing in your copyrights. Cheers!

Monday, December 31, 2012

If you plan on celebrating New Year's with a drinking party outside your home, please insure you have a DD ( Designated Driver) in your party. If you are alone, take a taxi home. It may save your life.

Here in Northern California if you get a DUI( drinking under the influence) citation or conviction, it may cost you at least $2000 versus a taxi fare of around $60 to $200 depending in how far is your home from the bar or party venue.

The Katague's will be celebrating New Year EVE in their residence with just a glass of champagne and watching television. Unlike our New Year Eve escapade in 1970 ( excerpts attached in this posting), our NY eve celebration will be quite and relaxing and no driving in the California tule fog.

Again, To you my readers from 166 countries all over the world, I wish you a Safe New Year. May 2013 bring you Peace and Happiness. I also hope you continue reading and supporting my blogs( by clicking on my ads) for at least another year.

Our New Year Escapade,1970:

"The New Year's Eve of 1970 was one of the most memorable events in my life in the United States. It was a peculiarly distinct night that I endangered us, me and my wife Macrine, by driving into the unknown, for a chance to celebrate a late dinner out. It was also the night we got to meet and know friendly strangers, who invited us to celebrate the New Year's Eve in their lovely home.

In September of 1969, I found a new job with Shell Development Company in central California. It was an attractive job offer which was difficult to turn down. Our family relocated to Modesto, California, and we were excited about living in a new community, meeting new friends and getting to know new neighbors.

The city of Modesto is located right in the heart of the central valley of California. It is the land of fruits and nuts, and also the agricultural region of the state. The central valley is also known for its sinister side, its tule fog during winter, which covers much of the central valley in poor visibility mist. The locals called it the "soup". The tule fog is a thick ground fog that forms and settles in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys of California's great central valley. This spectacle is named after the tule grass wetlands or tulares, as they are called, found in the central valley. Vehicular accidents caused by the thick and zero visibility tule fog, are the leading cause of weather-related casualties in central California.

During the last four months of 1969, we were occupied settling down and adjusting to our new home and community. We found a new school for our children, church, grocery, shops and parks. My life was thinly spread between my new job and home. We had no time to join any local group, and had no friends except for our neighbors.

Before the New Year's Eve, my wife and I wanted to find social interaction in our community, but we had no friends or family to visit nearby. We decided to go out for a late dinner in one of Stockton's nicer restaurants, to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. It is about twenty miles north of Modesto.

We reached the restaurant at about 9:30 pm, and the place was filled to capacity. We didn't realize that many couples had the same wonderful idea for the last night of the year. We had to wait in the bar before they could offer us a table. At the bar was another couple who was also waiting to be seated. They were a little bit older than us. The lady was of Asian ancestry and the man was Caucasian.

The couple appeared friendly, so me being the extroverted, outgoing and friendly individual, I started the introductions. I made small talk which initiated an animated conversation to pass away the time. We felt relaxed talking with the couple, and when we were called to be seated, we decided to get a table for the four of us together, instead of two separate ones.

Our dinner of steak and lobster was enjoyable. The conversation flowed freely, loosened by two bottles of wine. Based on our rapport and discussion, it appeared like the four of us were long time friends. We learned that the lady had Filipino ancestry. The couple is also Catholic, and has resided in Stockton for the last ten years. They had no children and had plans of adopting a child from the Philippines.

Their house was in a property near the restaurant, and a short drive away. We finished dinner and dessert at about 11:30 pm. Our new found friends decided to invite us to their home for an after dinner drink, and to avoid driving home in the highway at midnight, the New Year's Eve. With our adventurous spirit, Macrine and I trusted these strangers, and accepted their invitation without any fear or hesitation.

When we got out of the restaurant, the fog was already thick with only a few feet of visibility. I was not alarmed since the couple's residence was nearby. The house was tastefully furnished and decorated with several Philippine antiques that the lady had inherited from her Filipino grandparents.

We had a bottle of champagne at midnight and celebrated the arrival of the New Year. I only took a sip since I was the designated driver. We stayed at their home chatting and getting to know each other better. We talked about our families, interests, places we've lived and visited, and about the central valley. We ended the party at 1:00 am, and decided to go home.

As we stepped out of the warmth and comfort of their house, the cold air and the soup welcomed us outside; we could see nothing in front of us. It started to sink in my mind, whether we should proceed and drive through this very thick fog or not. I remember thinking; maybe we should pass the time somewhere, and let the fog go away before driving home. On the other hand, we could not delay the trip home to our children, and the babysitter also had to get home to her family.

I decided to start the car, drive slowly through the thick fog; my eyes open wide, a little bit nervous and anxious. We glanced at each other; my wife had the look of concern on her face. I remember her saying "this looks dangerous, and how will you see the road or the other cars on the highway". Seeing her worried look increased my growing apprehension of the peril of driving through zero visibility. The fog was so thick, my car's fog lights were useless, and we could only see a few feet away.

With arrogance, I was telling myself this was nothing to worry about. I've driven through blinding snowstorms, and snowy and icy roads in the Midwest. This would be easy; there is no rain or snow on the highway. I would manage this by driving slowly and totally focused on the road. Besides, at this time of the night there are few people and cars on the road.

Silence pervaded during the whole trip. No one dared to speak of negative thoughts. Both our minds were already consumed with thoughts of angst. I remember how distressing it was with all the worries racing through my mind. It made me imagine of graphic images of car wrecks, bloody and mutilated crash victims, and disturbingly, orphaned children left behind by foolish parents.

It took me a full hour to finally reach the safety of our home. It was a huge relief to find our children at home asleep. I was thanking all the saints in heaven that we were home safe and sound despite the danger that we just went through. The baby sitter was also pleased to see us back at 2:00 am.

Reflecting back to this experience, I cannot imagine that Macrine and I allowed ourselves to get to know and visit the home of complete strangers, who later on became our close friends. We continued our friendship with the couple until 1974, when we moved to the San Francisco bay area. I lost my job from Shell Development Company when it closed the agricultural research facility in Modesto.

This was definitely one New Year Eve's escapade that we will always remember for as long as we live."

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

It is time to say Merry Christmas to all my FaceBook friends and blog readers all over the world. My stats indicate that I have readers from 165 countries, but this list include only 114 languages. Please add your own language if it is not included in this list via the comment section of this article. I hope you continue reading my articles/blogs and help support it by clicking on the ads. Again, Happy Holidays!

Monday, December 24, 2012

Our main dish again this year for our Christmas Dinner is the spiral honeybaked ham.
This has been our family tradition since my retirement to Northern California in 2002. I have purchased a 5 lb ham ( we will have only 8 adults and one child for dinner this year) three days ago, to avoid the long lines. But I was mistaken. I still waited for 45 minutes to be served since there were about 100 customers ahead of me. If you wait to buy your ham today, expect a line from 1 to 3 hours. I was wondering why this ham is very popular compared to other hams. The reason is explained in this short posting from the Honeybaked ham website as follows:

"The spiral ham had its origins at HoneyBaked Ham Company over 50 years ago. Harry J. Hoenselaar opened the first HoneyBaked Ham Company store in Michigan. He made hams one at a time - and made sure every one met his exacting quality standards. He'd start with only the best quality bone-in ham, marinate it in his secret curing recipe, smoke it for as long as 24 hours over select hickory embers, slice it and then glaze it with his now-famous honey sweet and crunchy glaze. At that time, the spiral ham was born, Harry patented the unique spiral slicer he invented and the rest is history.

There are a number of benefits to spiral sliced hams. For one, spiral slicing is convenient. You don't need to worry about carving your ham when you buy a HoneyBaked spiral ham. Secondly, spiral slicing creates uniform, perfectly sized servings of our moist and delicious ham. Third, the spiral cut makes the ham more attractive when it's placed on your table. Plus, because Harry spiral sliced his ham first and then added his delectable sweet glaze, none of the glaze is lost during the slicing process".

I have tasted Chinese ham and other brand of smoked hams before. They are more salty compared to the honey baked which has a sweet taste and indeed really delicious. I paid about $6 per pound for the ham I purchased three days ago, not a bad buy. Of course besides the ham we will have other dishes such as Dungeness crab omelet, chicken macaroni salad, Filipino noodles ( pancit), chicken adobo with salad greens, mango ice cream, peach pie, Hawaiian rolls and steam rice. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Safe New Year.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

If you ask me now, I would have been happy if the world ended yesterday. The day started with freezing temperature, no sun and a very, very gloomy day. At 9:30AM, it started to rain. It feels like freezing rain when my wife requested me to buy our Honey Bake Ham for our Christmas Dinner. On my way to the Honey Bake Ham store, I was praying since it is still three days before Christmas Eve, that the lines will not be too long. I was mistaken. The parking lot of the store was filled and I could see customer lines way at the front door of the store. Since it was raining, I stayed in my car and waited for a parking space. Luckily, I waited only for about 10 minutes. When I entered the store, there were around 100 customers ahead of me. There were 5 servers and it took only 45 minutes before I was served

In the previous years, we buy our ham on December 23 with the impression that the ham will not be fresh if purchased earlier. This impression is wrong. According to the store manager, the Ham will be edible and will not rot in the refrigerator from 5 to 7 days after purchased. This was confirmed last Thanksgiving Day when we purchase the Ham 5 days before Thanksgiving Day. It stayed in the refrigerator for a week, before it tasted stale, although not rotten. There was no line in the store that day.

After I purchased the ham, my errand for the day is to buy two additional cans of fruit cocktail and a few other items, we forgot to buy the other day. The lines in the grocery store was also long, but since I bought only a few items I was able to check out in the Express Lane. The rain started to get harder as I was going to my car and I almost fell since it was a little slippery. Luckily, I did not, since I already slipped on my knees last week, while we were in the restaurant in downtown Sacramento, celebrating my grand daughter second debut as a professional child actress in a play, The Christmas Carol.

After I got home, my wife asked what sized of ham did I purchased. I said 4.5 lbs, since there will be only 9 adults for our Christmas Dinner. My wife indicated this might not be enough and my blood just went to a boil, I felt like screaming but I did not. I just said if it is not enough, then I will not eat any ham. Please note that besides the ham, we will have noodles, chicken macaroni salad, vegetables, chicken adobo, fruit salad, a cake, and Dungeness Crab omelet, rice, Hawaiian bread, peach pie and mango ice cream . I know that the 4.5 lb of ham will be adequate, because there are other dishes. This is the reason why I am so mad( my trip to the store on the freezing rain was not appreciated and my decision to buy only a 4.5 lb ham instead of a 10 lb was questioned). So today, I really do not care if the world ends.

Friday, December 21, 2012

In my previous posting, I listed the ten items that I love about the Philippines. Since there is no perfect place in the world, the following are the ten things that annoys me of my second home-The Philippines

The ten items that annoys me about the Philippines are listed below and in no particular order of annoyance.

1.Traffic and Pollution ( in big cities) There is always traffic congestion almost 24 hours a day, especially in big cities. The only time of the day when there is no traffic congestion in Manila and suburbs is between 2 to 4 AM. This is a good time to go to the airport to be in time for your 6AM flight.

2.Jeepney and Bus drivers: They drive like maniacs. They pick up and drop passengers in the middle of the road. Most provincial drivers drive like maniacs. They will overtake private cars on the wrong side of the highway and even on dangerous curves.

3.The long lines in the banks and ATM machines and people cutting-in the lines

4.The noise of crowing cocks and the barking dogs at 4AM or even earlier and loud karaoke music and out-of -tuned and horrible singing of the neighbors

5.When you invite one in your party, he or she brings one or two others, without advising you ahead

6.Filipinos seldom RSVP an invitation or answers their e-mails in a timely manner. Some have Face Books accounts , but seldom or never opens it. ( why open an account if you do not open it at all ?)

7.The heat and humidity during the summer months especially the months of March, April and May

8.The smell of fish and Durian-(probably only in Davao) in the wet markets

9.Litering on the streets and on the beaches, parks and urination in public places

Thursday, December 20, 2012

If you are one of my blog readers from 165 countries, you probably know that my wife and I are snowbirds. You also probably know what the word snowbirds meant.
Just to refresh your memory, we call ourselves snow birds, because when it gets cold here in US ( winter) we fly to tropical Philippines where it is warm and no snow. So why did we choose the Philippines and not some other tropical countries? Here are my ten reasons:

These ten items are not in order of importance.

1.The cheap standard of living:The cost of food and services with the exception of electricity is cheap in the Philippines specially services. For example haircuts, massages , pedicures and manicures is much cheaper in Philippines than in US. A specific example are Mens’ haircut. I pay between 60 to 100 pesos in Marinduque, but here in Northern California, I pay between $12 to $14 for a haircut. For $1500-$2000 plus or minus 10% a month, my wife and I live like a Queen and King here in Marinduque. The current exchange rate is about 41 pesos for one dollar as of this writing date. For fast conversion from pesos to dollars or vice versa, use “40” as the factor.

2.The simplicity and peaceful life in the provinces. The locals are easy going and do not hurry for their appointments. There is not much traffic in the provinces and in small towns. (http://marinduqueonmy mind.blogspot.com).

3.The abundance of fresh meat and seafood, vegetables and fresh fruits ( papayas, mangoes and bananas) at a reasonable prices as well as the Filipino delicacies ( lechon, lumpia and pancit) and desserts ( bibingka , leche flan and Halo-Halo).

4.Accessibility to the beaches, mountains, caves , rivers , islets for picnicking, bathing, snorkeling, scuba diving or just relaxing ( I am talking about Marinduque, not the big cities).

5.The social support system is fantastic. The presence of friends and relatives specially during Christmas and Easter seasons is an experience one can not forget. The Philippines celebrates Christmas five months every year starting from September 1 to January 31. (http:/planningtovisitthephilippines.blogspot.com)

6.Availability of all modern amenities, good restaurants, international food , modern health services in Manila, Iloilo, Cebu and other big cities and five stars vacation resorts all over the islands.

8.The numerous Fiestas and Festivals the whole year round, specially during the months of January and May. (http://lifeinus1960present.blogspot.com).

9.The hospitality of the people and their attitudes toward foreigners and visitors.

10.Historical and Cultural heritage we have as a nation from Spain , such as our old churches, folk dances, Kundiman music, Putong, Kalutang and respect for our elders and freedom of the press and speech and educational opportunities we had from the United States.(http://theintellectualmigrant.blogspot.com).

Watch out for my next posting listing the ten items I dislike about the Philippines

Note: Today is my 78th Birthday. I thanked the Lord for all his blessings and to you all my readers from 165 countries of the world, my special thanks and appreciation for your support by continuing to read my blogs.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Do you know that September 1 is the beginning of Christmas Season in the Philippines? It not only starts on the first day of September, but it ends 5 months later on January 31 every year. If you do not believe me, try reading some blogs about life in the Philippines from American and European expatriate nationals who are now living in the Philippines with their Filipina wives or read any Philippine newspaper in the Internet.

Speaking of Christmas songs my favorite Filipino Christmas song is Pasko Na Sinta Ko( Its Christmas, My Love) sang by world famous singer Lea Salonga. Here's a short video of the song plus another Filipino Christmas ballad( Sana Ngayon Pasko Na). If you are an OFW ( Overseas Filipino Worker) you will enjoy these two songs with background of the Philippine scenery, Filipino food and delicacies. I hope it will make you feel nostalgic about the Philippines.

Here in US, the Christmas Season starts after Thanksgiving and ends the day after New Year or sometimes after the Feast of Three Kings on January 6.

I believe the Philippines is the only country in the world that celebrate Christmas 5 months every year.

Am I right? Are there any other countries in the world that celebrates Christmas longer than 5 months? My advance Christmas greetings to you all my beloved readers from 165 countries all over the world.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Today's news from the Philippine Inquirer reported that the Philippines is still perceived as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. This news really saddened me. The survey was conducted by Transparency International (TI) . The Philippines was given a score of 34 on a scale of 1 to 100 with 100 being the least corrupt country.

The good news is that the Philippines scored better than the neighboring countries of Indonesia ( scored 32), Vietnam( scored 31) and Bangladesh scoring 26. The numbers are called Corruption Perception Index (CPI).

The top five countries perceived to be very clean were Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden and Singapore, while the five viewed as very corrupt were Somalia, North Korea, Afghanistan, Sudan and Myanmar.

One of the actions that has improved the Philippine image as a less corrupt country is the passage of the freedom of information bill according to the news report.. Other actions by the Aquino Administration that helped change the public perception were the impeachment trial, the declaration of the statements of assets, liabilities and net worth, the transparent process of replacing dismissed Chief Justice Renato Corona, and the general openness of the administration in its quest for a transparent government. .

Huguette Labelle, Chairperson of TI said that based on the 2012 CPI, corruption still continues to ravage many societies. According to him governments need to integrate anti-corruption actions into all public decision-making. Their priorities should include better rules on lobbying and political financing, making public spending and contracting more transparent, and making public bodies more accountable to people..

The news did not report the United States CPI score, but I have a feeling it is very close to 100, even though it did not make the top five least corrupt countries in the list above.

I hope that next year the Philippines will receive a higher score. As the saying goes, one can only hope for the best. Remember this is just a perception not the reality. In my mind the Philippines in reality has probably a score of 50 if not higher. What do you think? Comments?

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

I was reading yesterday issue of the Philippine Inquirer- Philippine national daily newspaper with world wide readership. In the Lifestyle Section, there was an article titled Argentine Tango Hits Manila. In that article,Macrine's ( my spouse of 55 years) first cousin and his wife, Young Nieva and Ivy Almario were featured as Argentine Tango practitioners and enthusiasts. The article also hinted that the sex life of the Nievas are much better with their Argentine Tango activity.

I would tend to agree, since dancing is a form of exercise. Exercise improves ones health, thus ones sex life. Allow me to quote an excerpt from that article written by Marge Enriquez.

“Interior designer Ivy Almario and husband-restaurateur Guillermo “Yong” Nieva were awed by Halley’s lithe and graceful presence when she performed the Argentine tango in her birthday party. They invited their traveling group, composed of happy couples, and took some lessons with Ogie Mendoza. They also danced the tango by the sea in Halley’s beach house. Almario had never danced in her life. She kept fit with gym workout. A natural dancer, Nieva would yank her out from her desk and get her to dance at 9 a.m.

“I like to distract her from her work. If not, she will keep on working for hours,” he says. “Ivy is the biggest miracle. She’s a quick learner. Now if you get her a DI, she will twirl and dance nonstop.”

Almario’s main advantage is that she is dancing with her significant other. While most women dancing with a DI will feel a certain connection, this couple is euphoric about the intimacy that it brings. “Our energies are so together that even when we stop dancing, I still feel it,” says Nieva.

Asked how dancing together has enhanced their sex life, Almario replies, “Why, does it need help? Seriously, if you’re fit, the sex is always better.”

The article above reminds me of my teenager days in the 1950's, when my father( now deceased) was teaching us how to dance the tango ( not Argentine), the rumba and the jitterbug. The tango taught by my dad is similar to the current American smooth tango.

Do you know that there are five styles of Tango? They are the Argentine, French, International (Smooth), American, and then one that is still danced in the lower class sections of Argentina. Each of the styles is its own, but there are many similar movements for all styles.

I love watching Dancing with Stars. In this TV program, the Tango Dances are a mixture of International style and American style depending on the professional. The main difference between the two is that in International style, the couple stays in a closed frame, while in American, they separate more often. Below is a video from the show featuring Shawn Johnson.

Speaking of Dancing with Stars( one of my favorite TV shows), last night episode was the first day of a 2-day dancing finals. The finalist were all women. My prediction is that Shawn Johnson and her partner Derek Hough will win.

Monday, November 19, 2012

An Airplane Hotel- Photo from travel.spot.coolstuff.com
The following are some of my favorite photos from the web. I do not own any of the photographs, so if you have any copyright issues, please inform me immediately. I will be delighted to remove it from this posting. This is indeed a good illustration of the saying, a picture is worth more than a thousand words. Enjoy and feast your eyes on the photographs. Some are funny, the others sexy and the rest unusual.

Indeed, I could smell it for miles

A sexy tree in my backyard?

It is my dog, not my ?

Come on, let me look!

Nice and well-placed Picture

Do you Know where this statue is?

Is this tree for real?

Are you brave enough to participate in this Event?

These are pigs, look closely!

Would you like a tree like this in your Garden?

is this photo just came from the Photo Shop?

This gourd plant is easy to grow in the tropics.

As a gardener, I love this photo from the rest of the photos in this posting.

Getting Ahead of the Wedding Night Festivities

Which photo is your favorite? Comments, anyone?

Note: I do not own any of the photos above. However, I have no intention in infringing on your photograph copyrights.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Do you know that the first on-line diary was created in 1994? But it was not until 1997 that the term weblog was coined. It was coined by Jorn Barger. It was then shortened to the word "blog," by Peter Merholz, in April of 1999. Then, Evan Williams at Pyra Labs used "blog" as both a noun and verb. To blog MEANS "to edit one's weblog or to post to one's weblog". He also created the term "blogger" in connection with Pyra Labs' Blogger product, leading to the popularization of the terms. Today, the words blog and blogging is used by hundred of millions all over the world including myself since 2008.

Slowly after that, blogging rapidly gained in popularity. Blog usage spread during 1999 and the years following, being further popularized by the near-simultaneous arrival of the first hosted blog tools, Open Diary and SlashDot:

Open Diary was launched in October 1998, and soon grown to thousands of online diaries. It became the first blog community where readers could add comments to other writers' blog entries.

On the other hand SlashDot, was launched in 1997 and became a popular blog site for tech "nerds". Later Brad Fitzpatrick, a well known blogger started LiveJournal in March 1999.

In July, 1999, Andrew Smales created Pitas.com. It was an easier alternative to maintaining a "news page" on a website. This was followed by Diaryland in September 1999. The website did focused more on the personal diary communities.

In August 1999, Evan Williams and Meg Hourihan (Pyra Labs) launched blogger.com . In February of 2003, Blogger.com was purchased by Google, Inc. After the purchase, Googles Adsense was launched the next year and now is the most popular and successful venture in the advertising business for Google, Inc.

Permalinks, blogrolls and TrackBacks made it easier for personal web pages to link to each other. Together with weblog search engines, it allows bloggers to track the threads that connected them to others with similar interests. This was the start of commercial blogging, also known as professional bloggers. They either sell a product directly to readers or via an affiliate company or advertise a business.

Today, hundred of millions of personal as well as commercial ( professional) blogs populates the Internet. In 2008, it was reported that there were 112 million blogs all over the world. This does not not include the 72 million from China. The two most popular blog hosts here in US that I know are blogger.com and wordpress.com.

Do you have a personal blog? Can you tell me why you are blogging? Do you blog to sell a product, advertise a business or just for FUN? I will be delighted to hear from you!

Friday, November 16, 2012

According to the local news in the Bay Area, The first boat load of Dungeness crab arrived in the Fishermans Wharf yesterday. The catch was small but the quality of the crabs were good. The price agreed by the commercial fishermen and the distributors was set at $3.00 per lb which was higher from the agreed price last year of only $2.25 per lb. With this quick agreement, Dungeness crabs will now be available to consumers soon in the area outside the county of San Francisco. I checked our local Relay store here in Fair Oaks this morning. They have not received their supply, but is expecting it next week for the Thanksgiving holidays. However, they have available frozen crabs meat claw for about $9.00 for 8 oz. My grocery man here in Raley informed me that his guess for the price of fresh Dungeness Crabs will vary from $4.99 to $6.99 per lb.

Since I have a cravings for another crab omelet today, I decided to purchase the crab meat from the Dungeness Claw for our dinner tonight. The recipe for the Omelet is identical to the one I posted just recently in my blogs. THE ARTICLE is titled "What did I do to deserve this Treat: AT, http://lifeinus1960present.blogspot.com dated 10/25/12. The only thing different in the recipe is that instead of shredded cabbage, my wife used bean sprouts. I purchased bean sprouts for only 0.99c per 8 oz. bag at Sprouts Farmer's Market a couple of block from our residence.

We just finished dinner and the Crab Claw Omelet with Bean Sprouts was EXCELLENT. With the omelet we have steam rice and Hawaiian sweet rolls along with a glass of Johanesberg Grey Reisling wine. For dessert we have chocolate cake and coffee ice cream.

If you have not cooked a crab omelet, visit my blog, http://theintelectualmigrant.blogspot.com dated OCTOBER, 25, 2012.

Friday, November 9, 2012

My wife and I visited Luray Caverns in the spring of 1997. It was about 20 minutes just after we exited SKYLINE drive at the Thornton Gap of the Shenandoah National Park near Highway 211 of Virginia. This was our first tour of a commercial cave in the US. LURAY Caverns is not as popular as the Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico or the Mammoth Caves of Kentucky, but it was a visit we will never forget.

Luray Caverns, originally called Luray Cave, is a large, celebrated commercial cave just west of Luray, Virginia, USA, which has drawn many visitors since its discovery in 1878. The underground cavern system is generously adorned with speleothems (columns, mud flows, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, mirrored pools, etc.). The caverns are perhaps best known for the Great Stalacpipe Organ, a lithophone made from solenoid fired strikers that tap stalactites of various sizes to produce tones similar to those of xylophones, tuning forks, or bells.

Here's a short write-up and video about the caves from the Luray Caverns management and website: Since discovery in 1878 by a tinsmith and a local photographer, visitors by the millions have made Luray Caverns the most popular cave in Eastern America and an internationally acclaimed destination.

Four million centuries in the making beneath Virginia’s storied Shenandoah Valley, this “must see” U.S. Natural Landmark awaits your discovery. One hour tours, from well-lighted, paved walkways lead visitors through cathedral-sized rooms with ceilings 10 stories high. Enormous chambers are filled with towering columns, shimmering draperies and crystal-clear pools.

Also in this subterranean wonderland, “Hear Rocks Sing” as you experience the haunting sounds of the world’s largest musical instrument, The Great Stalacpipe Organ. Completely unique are the beautiful tones created by this one-of-a-kind instrument, which makes music of concert quality from the surrounding stalactite formations covering more than three acres.

Luray Caverns, for more than 130 years, has been renowned as one of the world’s most spectacular natural wonders. A world of magic and majesty, still as marvelously beautiful as described in the newspaper headlines over a century ago.
This was our first cave visit in the US. It was mesmerizing and a humbling experience to see this spectacular natural wonders of Virginia.

Friday, October 5, 2012

I have always wanted to publish my own Filipino-American Pride List. The 20 names (BOTH LIVING AND DEAD) below are not listed in order of importance. This is my personal list and you are welcome to suggest any names that could be added in this list. My only requirement is that they have excelled in their field of expertise ( entertainment, sports, science, medicine, literature, arts, law and politics). I have personally meet Olivera, Comiso, Cabaldon, Pasquil, and Nicolas-Lewis. Cabaldon and Pasquil are associates and friends of my daughter, Ditas Katague ( Number 8). And last but not least, Number 14 in this list is my oldest son, Dodie Katague, Writer and Lawyer. Pure Filipinos like Manny Pacquiao, Dr Fe Del Mundo, Lea Salonga or Charice Pempengco are not included in this list. They belong to the Filipino Pride list.

1. Baldomero Olivera, Ph.D. – Distinguished Professor of Biology, University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah; first Fil-Am member of the United States National Academy of Science. Research: neurotoxins from venoms of predatory cone snails

2. Emil Guillermo – award winning journalist, writer, and broadcaster. First Filipino American to anchor a regularly scheduled national news program, NPR "All Things Considered," May 1989. Winner of American Book Award, 2000.

8.Ditas Katague was appointed by Governor Brown in March 2011 as Commissioner Sandoval’s Chief of Staff, California Public Utilities Commission. Ditas has more than 20 years of experience at federal, state and local government agencies as well as in private and non-profit sectors. Prior to coming to the CPUC, Ditas was Chief Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Corporations. She also served in the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research as Director of Census 2010 and is an expert in civic engagement and public participation. She was also Assistant Secretary for Transportation at the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. Ditas has a B.A. in Social Sciences and Practice of Art (double major) from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Masters in Public Administration (Intergovernmental Management and Organization Development) from the University of Southern California. Ditas is my youngest daughter.

9. Eleanor Mariano – Rear Admiral (Lower Half), U.S. Navy, retired. First Filipino American to be promoted to a flag officer rank; former White House physician

10. Mona Pasquil Rogers- in November 2009, became the first woman to serve as acting lieutenant governor of California, Friend and associate of my daughter, Ditas

11. Steve Austria - Republican congressman from Beavercreek, Ohio.

12. Rozita Villanueva Lee – daughter of Eugenio Villanueva, who immigrated from Pangasinan to Hawaii as part of the recruited labor force for the Hawaii plantations, has been described as one of the top ten successful Filipinos abroad. She has served as National Vice Chair of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations and in a number of other prominent positions of responsibility. On September 16, 2010, the White House announced her appointment as a member of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

13. Christopher Cabaldon – Mayor of West Sacramento, California, born in 1965. Openly gay activist. Have attended fun raising activities for his political activities.

14. Dodie Diosdado Katague- author of Cloyne Court and Prosecuting Attorney,Contra Costa, California. Here's a summary of his first novel Cloyne Court" In 1946, the "real" all male "Animal House" was born when Cloyne Court become a student co-op. But the real story begins when Cloyne Court went co-ed in 1972 with the arrival of sixty-two women. Katague's sexy, reveal-all memoir takes place in the late 70s, soon after the women moved in. All it takes is one kiss to transform animals into horny princes.

15. Enrique Iglesias – a Spanish pop music singer-songwriter. Is now mainstream US singer

16. Christine Gambito – an American Internet personality, actress, and comedian; she maintains one of the most-subscribed-to channels on YouTube. Also appointed Ambassador of Philippine tourism

17. Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye was born on October 19, 1959). She is a Filipino-American jurist, and is the 28th Chief Justice of California. She was nominated by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for California's highest judicial office on July 22, 2010, and retained in office by California voters on November 2, 2010, and was sworn in on January 3, 2011. Her Hawaiian-born father, Clarence, was of Filipino and Portuguese ancestry, while her mother, Mary Gorre, was Filipino. She was a classmate of my oldest son ( Dodie) in Law School at UC Davis.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

At the first presidential debate last night, Mitt Romney in my opinion beat Barack Obama. It was not a convincing defeat, however. Facts wise it appears in my opinion to be a tie. However, when it comes to presentation and awareness, Romney was at his best. Romney was aggressive and the President appeared defensive. An independent survey just after the debate based from reactions of 500 undecided voters gave Romney a 2 to 1 margin. This is just a small sample and statistically insignificant, but if Romney continues to be himself and performs well as last night in the next two debates, he will win the election. Romney did indeed change the voters perception that he cares from 30% to 63%. On the other hand, the positive change regarding the President's caring for the middle class changed only from 60% to 69%. The next debate will be the Vice Presidential debate this coming October 11 to be followed by two more debates between Romney and Obama(Oct 16 and 22). I am looking forward for these coming three debates.

I am a registered Democrat but if Romney continues to do well in the next two debates, I might vote Republican this year. However, since I am a resident of California, my vote for Romney will not count since Obama is pretty sure to win the electoral votes of California. Romney will only win the election if he wins in the seven borderline States if the election are held today. The fate of the US presidency will depends on the voters from Florida, Iowa, Virginia and Ohio and other borderline States.

Before the debate, newscasters had been saying that Obama has already 271 electoral votes if the election was conducted yesterday. THIS IS ONE ELECTORAL VOTE more THAT IS NEEDED TO BE PRESIDENT OF US. ONLY 270 ELECTORAL VOTES IS REQUIRED TO BE ELECTED PRESIDENT OF US in case you are not aware of the US Constitution.

In the Philippines, there are no electoral votes. The president wins by popular votes. I wish the US has the popular votes system, so if I vote for Romney even if I reside in California, my vote will be personally counted.

Did you watch the debate last night? If so, who won in your opinion and why. I will be delighted to hear from you.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Here's an excellent example of an ethnic tribal music( Kadangyan) from Cebu Island in the Philippines. I like the video and I hope you like. It is different kind of music for the mind and spirit. The video maker encouraged viewers to share this video based on the comment section of the video in YouTube.
KADANGYAN is one of Cebu's foremost ethnic bands, composing and playing in their own unique style. Most of their instruments are original and handmade from natural products. Here's the comment of the video maker.

"I shot this video in the jungle near the reservoir and it was an extremely difficult shoot because we wanted to use the natural surroundings, rather than a studio setting! The hike, carrying instruments and video equipment was a challenging one! info@globalvideoprotv.com". Please share.!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Balesin Island Club Official Video
A destination of unmatched natural beauty located off the Eastern coast of Luzon in the Philippines, Balesin is a 500 hectare tropical island paradise with 7.3 kilometers of pristine white sand beaches. Located 21 kilometers southeast of Polillo, Quezon Province and just 60 nautical miles east of Manila, Balesin is a quick 25-minute plane ride from Manila, yet is a world completely unto itself. Alphaland Balesin Island Club is your unique, members-only, private leisure getaway-today and for generations to come.

Members will be given 14 complimentary days in any of our seven themed villages inspired by world-class beach destinations namely: Balesin, Bali, St. Tropez, Costa Smeralda, Mykonos, Costa Del Sol, and Phuket. Members can enjoy the landscaped pools and authentic restaurants while giving them an impressive view of the ocean.

Masterfully planned by EcoPlan of Miami, Florida, USA, Balesin Island Club was designed with the environment uppermost in mind and to be in perfect harmony with its natural surroundings. Water harvesting, 80% water recycling, a reverse osmosis plant, on-site eco friendly transportation, organic farming, and alternative sources of energy reduce the amount of waste and ensure sustainable development on this beauty of an island – without scrimping on luxurious, top-notch facilities.

Bellarocca Resort, Buenavista, Marinduque

Located between the southeastern portion of Luzon and Mindoro islands, Marinduque is flanked from four sides: North, South, Northeast and Southwest by the Tayabas Bay, Sibuyan Sea, Mompoy Bay and Tayabas Strait, respectively.

Bellarocca Island is situated off the south west coast of the Marinduque province. Characterized by seaside cliffs, valleys, hills and sparsely dotted plains across this heart-shaped region, therein lies even more impressively hot springs, waterfalls and underwater flora and fauna. In addition to these, there are caves that await exploration by adventurous travelers. Many are yet to be fully investigated or documented. The most famous of these cave systems is Bathala Caves which hosts a complex network of seven mostly uncharted caves. In the capital Boac, spelunkers can take delight in the limestone Talamban caves situated on a 300-meter hill.

Because of the location within the Philippine archipelago, Marinduque has been aptly dubbed the heart of the Philippines.

For those who wish to travel privately, guests can choose to arrive at the island directly via private helicopters, chartered flights or luxury yachts from Manila to Marinduque. Arrangements are coursed through our Manila Reservation Staff.

Marinduque is a short 30-minute flight south of Manila. Another access available to guests is the commercial flights from Manila to Marinduque by Zest Air, which flies on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Advance purchases of promo airfares online(www.zestair.com.ph) are being offered as low as PHP3,000.00 net round trip per person.

Land and sea transfers to Bellarocca: From the airport in Marinduque, our guests are met by our airport representatives and picked up by private vans for a 40-minute land transfer to the town of Lipata, Municipality of Buenavista, where Bellarocca is located. From there guests are transferred via speed boats and yachts, depending on the expected number of arrivals, for a brief 5 – minute crossing to the island.

You have seen the videos of the two exclusive resorts. Just based on the videos and on the brochures above, which one will you visit first if money is not your problem?

I have stayed in Bellarocca over the weekend and it was fantastic, but I believe it is overpriced( the non-promo package). I do not know the membership fees for the Balesin Island Club, but based on the description, it will be a threat and a competition for Bellarocca clients. Both resorts do not participate in the International Exchange Vacation Program. So even if you have a time exchange membership in a five star US resort, you will not be able to exchange it at either Balesin Island Club or in Bellarocca Resort.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, Philippines National High School. Me and My sister (Amor) in front of the Sign at the entrance of the school showing our mother's land Donation to the School

If you have not heard of this place, I do not blame you. It is a 4th class municipality about 60Km North of Iloilo City, Iloilo. Iloilo is one of the four provinces in Panay Island. Panay Island is part of the Western Visayas Region of the Philippines. The Visayas Region is the Central Part of the Philippine Archipelago. You may ask me why I am writing about Barotac Viejo, Iloilo (BVI) . Let me explained.

BVI is the town where I grew up. It is the town where I finished my elementary school years. It is also the town where I finished high school. In 1951 I graduated valedictorian of my high school class. It is the town where I have both pleasant and unpleasant memories of my childhood and teenaged years.

My childhood memories of the American-Japanese war occurred in the town proper, foothills and jungles of this town. ( http://davidbkatague.blogspot.com). My memories of my elementary and high school years as discussed in my autobiography , http://theintellectualmigrant.blogspot.com , (Chapter 2 and 3) also occurred in this town.

When I left BVI in 1951 to pursue my college degree in Iloilo City and later in Diliman, Quezon City, BVI was a 4th class town with less than 5000 residents. Today, Wikipedia states that is still a 4th class municipality, but with around 39,000 residents. When I left BVI in 1955, there was the elementary and high schools, public market, Cockfighting Arena, the Catholic Church, the Post office and one gas station, a couple of hardware stores, a Chinese bakery and may be 100 residential homes in the town proper. Today it is still a 4th class town with more buildings both for business and private homes. The local high school was named to be a national agricultural high school. Part of the land for the school was donated by my uncle ( Jose Balleza) and my mother Paz Balleza ( see photo above). There is a beach resort ( Balaring Beach) about 5 Km from the town proper.

When I left the town in 1955, the mayor of the town was Luis Tupas, a relative of my mother. Today the local politics, are still controlled by the Tupas family and their clan. When I left the town, my parents bestowed me a 12 hectare parcel of rice land as part of my inheritance, as discussed in my blog http://lifeinus1960present.blogspot.com. Today that land has been land reformed and I have not received a single centavo from the Philippine government. What was left of my inheritance is a 2-hectare parcel in the upland area without water irrigation and almost useless for crop growing.

So after all this years, almost 57 years, the town has not really changed. I found a Facebook Page about the town last year. Searching in Google, there is not much information about BVI. If you click on the Image Section, two of my pictures are in the first page.

In 2005, my wife and I accompanied by my sister visited our parents grave in the cemetery of BVI.Me and my wife and sister Amor at the Cemetery.
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Our old house (located at the back of the Post Office) was gone. The only thing that remained was the foundation stone with the engraving Dolce Building, 1952.

Tears from my eyes flowed like a gentle rain, when I saw that foundation, recalling the pleasant memories of my teen-age years. The house is gone but my memories of BVI will live forever. I wish for a better future for BVI and its residents. If you know of someone from Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, I will appreciate your comments.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish singer, songwriter and occasional actor of Spanish and Filipino descent, popular in both the Latin market and the Hispanic American market in the United States. He was born on May 8, 1975. He is the son of the famous Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and Isabel Prysler-a Filipina beauty . Within five years of beginning his musical career in the 1990s, he became the biggest seller of Spanish-language albums of that decade. He made his crossover into the mainstream English language market before the turn of the millennium, signing a multi-album deal with Universal Music Group for an unprecedented US $50,000,000 with Universal Music Latino to release his Spanish albums and Interscope to release English albums. In 2010, he parted with Interscope and signed with another Universal Music Group label, Universal Republic.

Iglesias has sold over 100 million records worldwide(over 70 million albums), making him one of the best selling Spanish language artists of all time. He has had five Billboard Hot 100 top five singles, including two number-ones, and holds the record for producing 22 number-one Spanish-language singles on the Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks. He has also had ten number-one songs on Billboard's Dance charts, more than any other single male artist. Altogether, Iglesias has amassed 68 number-one rankings on the various Billboard charts. Billboard has called him The King of Latin Pop and The King of Dance. Billboard also named Enrique the number two Latin artist of the years 1986–2011 (Luis Miguel taking the first spot).
Note: This is my No.7 of a series of articles on famous Filipino-Americans in the field of entertainment, sports, medicine, and philanthropy.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

José Protacio Mercado Alonzo y Realonda Rizal was born on June 19, 1861 and died on December 30, 1896. He was a Chinese Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is regarded as the foremost Filipino patriot and is listed as one of the national heroes of the Philippines by the National Heroes Committee. His execution day in 1896, now known as Rizal Day, is a national holiday in the Philippines.

He was born to a rich family in Calamba, Laguna and was the seventh of eleven children. He attended the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, earning a Bachelor of Arts, and enrolled in medicine at the University of Santo Tomas. He continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid in Madrid, Spain, earning the degree of Licentiate in Medicine. He also attended the University of Paris and earned a second doctorate at the University of Heidelberg.

Rizal was a polyglot, conversant in twenty-two languages. He was a prolific poet, essayist, diarist, correspondent, and novelist whose most famous works were his two novels, Noli me Tangere and El filibusterismo. These social commentaries on Spanish rule formed the nucleus of literature that inspired peaceful reformists and armed revolutionaries alike.

As a political figure, José Rizal was the founder of La Liga Filipina, a civic organization that subsequently gave birth to the Katipunan led by Andrés Bonifacio, which would start the Philippine Revolution against Spain, leading to the foundation of the First Philippine Republic under Emilio Aguinaldo. He was a proponent of achieving Philippine self-government peacefully through institutional reform rather than through violent revolution, although he would support "violent means" as a last resort. Rizal believed that the only justification for national liberation and self-government is the restoration of the dignity of the people, saying "Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow?" The general consensus among Rizal scholars is that his execution by the Spanish government ignited the Philippine Revolution. Source: Wikipedia

Note: This is number 6 on my series of articles on famous Fil1pinos, pure or with mixed ancestry, living or dead in the field of entertainment, science, sports, politics or philanthropy. I hope you are proud of their accomplishments whether you have Filipino ancestry or not.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Politics in the Philippines has always been under the control of a few notable and rich families. It is very common for a politician's son, wife, brother, cousins or other kinsman, to run for the same or other government office. Thus the Philippines is really not a true democracy but an oligarchy.

This can be traced back to the Spanish colonial times where favored families are of the mestizo stock, that is Filipinos with Spanish blood. During this period and later, family names such as Cojuangcos, Lopezes, Marcoses, Osmeñas and Aquinos became household names. In Marinduque, the family names of Nievas, Nepomucenos and Reyeses were popular political names.

The Constitution of the Philippines in 1987 states in Article II Section 26, "The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law." Political dynasties have been a present staple in Philippine political arena since 1946.

Many have called for the Congress to pass the Anti-Dynasty Law, but this bill has been passed over by each Congress since 1987. Some have pointed that oligarchy is the root problem of all the corruption in the Philippine government.

An Empirical Analysis of Political Dynasties in the 15th Philippine Congress by Ronald Mendoza and others from the Asian Institute of Management concluded that
on the average, political dynasties possess higher net worth and win in elections by larger margins of victory compared to non-dynastic representatives. Their dynastic jurisdictions are also associated with lower standards of living (as measured by average income) and lower human development (as measured by the Human Development Index), and higher levels of deprivation (as measured by poverty incidence, poverty gap, and poverty severity).

This paper indicates that political dynasties are not good for the Philippines and must be prohibited. An Anti-Dynasty Law must be passed, but since 75% of the law makers are members of the Dynasty clan, it will be impossible for this law to pass. There is a saying that this law will only pass if Hell freezes in the Philippines.

Among the Family Dynasties as listed in Wikipedia are as follows: the Abad family in Batanes, the Arroyo and Macapagal Families of Pampanga, the Marcos Family of Ilocos Norte, The Cojuangco Family of Tarlac, the Reyes Family of Marinduque and Palawan, The Aquino Family of Sorsogon and Agusan del Sur and the Recto family of Batangas. The Wikipedia listed more than 80 names that are associated with political dynasties.

It would appear that in Marinduque, the Reyes Dynasty will continue. I read in FaceBook today, that Gina Reyes daughter of the current governor, Carmencita Reyes has submitted her candidacy for Governor in the next year elections. The Reyes clan had been in Marinduque politics for more than 40 years. Is the political dynasty system good for Marinduque? Your comments will be appreciated.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE I RECEIVED FROM MY E-MAIL YESTERDAY. IT IS WORTH YOUR TIME! READ IT!

"I don't know when this was written, it appears to be current and very Interesting. Charley Reese's Final column! COMPLETELY NEUTRAL! Be sure to Read the Poem at the end. Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years. He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN. Be sure to read the Tax List at the end".

545 vs. 300,000,000 People
-By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and
then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are
against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation
and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on
appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme
Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are
directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the
domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that
problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its
Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally
chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.
They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a
senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing.
I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash.
The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what
the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to
determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that
what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con
regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive
amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a
Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating
deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the
Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole
responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and
approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House?
John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow
House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If
the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree
to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot
replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of
incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic
problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you
fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the
federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they
want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they
want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ...

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement
plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they
hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators,to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or
"politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are
their bosses. Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to
you. This might be funny if it weren't so true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:

Tax his land,Tax his bed,Tax the table,At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,Tax his mule,Teach him taxes Are the rule.

Tax his work,Tax his pay,He works for peanuts anyway!

Tax his cow,Tax his goat,Tax his pants,Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,Tax his shirt,Tax his work,Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,Tax his drink,Tax him if he Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,Tax his beers,If he cries Tax his tears.

Tax his car,Tax his gas,Find other ways To tax his ass.

Tax all he has, Then let him know, That you won't be done,Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;Then tax him some more,Tax him till,He's good and sore.

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the heck happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'

I hope this goes around THE USA at least 545 times!!! YOU can help it
get there!!! GO AHEAD. . . BE AN AMERICAN!!!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, was born on December 17, 1978. He is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion, in which he has won ten world titles, as well as the first to win the Lineal Championship in four different weight classes.

He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the 2000s (decade) by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA), World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO). He is also a three-time The Ring and BWAA "Fighter of the Year," winning the award in 2006, 2008 and 2009, and the Best Fighter ESPY Award in 2009 and 2011.

He was long rated as the best pound for pound boxer in the world by some sporting news and boxing websites, including ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Sporting Life, Yahoo! Sports, About.com, BoxRec and The Ring. On April 2012, Pacquiao dropped to number two in the rankings, behind Floyd Mayweather, Jr. However on May 7, 2012, The Ring declared the top position vacant and jointly ranked Pacquiao and Mayweather in the number two spot.

Aside from boxing, Pacquiao has participated in acting, music recording and politics. In May 2010, Pacquiao was elected to the House of Representatives in the 15th Congress of the Philippines, representing the province of Sarangani.
Source: Wikipedia

Note: This is Number 5 on my series of article on famous Filipinos, pure or with mixed ancestry, living or dead in the field of entertainment, science, sports, politics, medicine or philanthropy. I hope you are proud of their accomplishments whether you have Filipino ancestry or not.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Is Jessica Sanchez, a threat to Charice Pempengco singing career? This idea was brought to my attention from a comment from my nephew in response to my article in this blog yesterday. The title of my article was " Jessica Sanchez Not Qualified to be Included in the Filipino Pride List". The article was my reaction to Courtney Blooding, Charice manager comments regarding Sanchez as not a true Filipino, since she do not speak Tagalog and was not born in the Philippines so she is not qualified or worthy to be included as a Filipino Pride list. Here's the comment of my nephew, Reagan Katague Gregorio:

"Aside from being jealous, Blooding sees Jessica Sanchez as a big threat to Charice. She knows that Jessica is full of talent and she's massively appealing as well.

Beside seeing Jessica as a competition, why don't she try to work out that the two great talents work together in a collaborative album and do some concert tours together. It's good for business as well as for everyone's career including that of Blooding's as well."

"Only because her mother was from here, born here. citizenship another matter. but it is true that we filipinos always try to look abroad & see if a successful person has filipino blood & we rejoice in it. But some of these individuals are not even openly admitting this until someone asks them if they have filipino blood."

Here was my response to Sheila: "Good point, Sheila. I have no admiration or desire to associate with Filipino-Americans that are ashamed of their Filipino ancestry even if they are famous or rich.

Joys of Retirement at Chateau De La Mer, Marinduque, Philippines

I have been retired from USFDA since 2002. At first, I feel I have lost my identity as an individual or have lost my contribution to society. However, within a few weeks all these feelings were gone. It started when my wife and I started baby sitting one of our grandchildren. As some economics professor states: "Your children are your capital investments, but your grandchildren are your profits. That is why you love your grandchildren more than your children". I really agree with the statement.
Retirement also gives you lots of time to do things you like to do, such as your hobbies and of course travel. In my case, I turned my hobby of gardening and landscaping into a small business in the Philippines. This endeavor was planned about five years before 2002. That year my wife and I started construction of our retirement home in Boac, Marinduque , Philippines. The next year we built a beach house, followed by a Conference Hall two years later. Needless to say, planning and executing the landscaping was a challenge and very enjoyable. With the help of local labor, I not only enjoy the time gardening and landscaping, but also help improved the economic situation of the province by providing work and jobs to the local residents.
With plenty of time, I have engaged into two specific activities as follows:
First, I created a website for my small business. By trial and error, I created and design the website, www.chateaudumer.com I have never been a computer nerd or expert. But with plenty of time and patience, the fruits of my labor could be enjoyed if you visit the website above.
The second activity, I have not done before was to utilize on-line activities, such as shopping, paying bills ( save you stamps) and playing computer games in the Internet. I really enjoyed playing duplicate bridge on line. You play with players all over the world and can chat in between games. But be careful, you are not spending too much time in the computer. It is very addictive.
With a lots of time, my wife and I devoted more time on our favorite humanitarian project. For the last 15 years, we have been involved with medical mission to the province of Marinduque.
For details please visit the website: www.marinduqueinternational.org
As a summary, the joy one gets on retirement is very specific for an individual. Some enjoy their free time by learning new activities, getting involved with humanitarian projects or spending more time with their grandchildren. Others hate it, since they missed their former jobs and co-workers. Others with no children still enjoy retirement by traveling, turning their hobbies into business or more community involvement. Of course those that retire and hate it, is believe to die earlier than those that enjoy their retirement years. So, plan your retirement as early as you can. The happier you are on retirement, the longer you will live.

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Orchids and Statuaries in the Gardens of Chateau De La Mer

Orchids in the Front Yard of the Main House
The photos above are some of the statuaries and orchids from the Gardens Of Chateau de la Mer, Boac, Marinduque, Philippines.

Disclaimer: Most of the photos and videos included in this blog are not owned by me unless stated. If you are the owner of the photo/video and you would like to be credited, please let me know and I will pay proper attribution after careful verification of your identity and of your 'claimed' image/s. The photos/videos used in this blog are results of myGoogle and other Internet searches. Thank you and if you enjoy this blog, help support it, by clicking on the ads.